Are you looking to colorize black and white photos online? Research in object detection and pattern recognition by a computer began in the 1960s. From research to practice, the journey of artificial intelligence to become capable of recognizing objects from an image started in the early 2000s. By 2015, a group of researchers submitted a paper about using AI to turn text into images. These were the crucial stages for the advancement of AI in the image-coloring world. Without object recognition, the AI would not have been able to turn black-and-white photographs into colorful moments.
What ways are there to let tools colorize your black and white photos?
The art of hand painting grayscale photographs dates back to the 17th century when cameras were invented. The longing to turn a gray photograph into a colorful image is now done by various AI software. Image coloration operates on a completely different level than image creation by AI. While both require object recognition capabilities, coloring a black-and-white photograph is like recreating the age-old art of hand-painted photos.
Using AI to colorize and improve a 19th-century black and white image. #AI #oldphotos #oldnewspapers #archieve #digitalhumanities pic.twitter.com/QJOoSokdsT
— Alexander Luz (@datascience600) August 26, 2022
We have come a long way from 2015 and can now train an AI program to create images from text provided as input. Now, software such as DALL-E 2 can turn text into images. We also have sophisticated software that can quickly turn a black-and-white photograph into a colored one. The text generation AI solution Jasper (former Jarvis) has recently also unveiled a system to turn text into graphics, no matter if painting, rendering, or photograph. But what about giving old photos new color right in your browser? How to colorize black and white photos online?
Free image colorizing websites
Though testing things out is free, some functions might still cost a fee. The process of coloring an old photo is not as easy as the AI makes it seem. Any machine that can compute can become artificially intelligent with training. The training process includes making a machine learn about our world with the help of millions of data sets. In the case of an image coloring tool, AI can learn how to color images based on the many sample photos that are fed during the training process.
Hotpot
To color a greyscale photograph, AI calculates scenarios, such as whether the photo was clicked during the day or night, and identifies the objects in the image to get the full picture. The first on the list of free websites that use AI to color is called Hotpot. It is an easy-to-use website that requires the user to pay $4.50 for the license. Just upload a black-and-white photo on this website and it will turn it into a colored one quickly. You can then download the image by just clicking on it.
DeepAI
DeepAI, as the name suggests, is an AI-powered website that uses the deep learning model to present high-quality outputs from raw inputs. Deep learning is a class of machine learning where an artificially intelligent machine learns how humans process information from the world. This model trains the AI machine with an abundant supply of colored photos and their black-and-white counterparts. There is no download button available on the website for the processed image. So you can right-click on the image and choose the ‘Save Image As’ option to download the image on your computer.
I then colorized the photos using the DeepAI Image Colorization API: https://t.co/5XFGTEieIA
Here's the AI's attempt to color these photos. pic.twitter.com/SVr4dKsnZL
— Gwen C. Katz (@gwenckatz) April 12, 2021
Colourise
The last on the free website list is Colourise which colors the photos automatically and is free of charge. After the photo is colored, you can click on the download button. All the websites mentioned here have a simple interface, where the user just uploads the picture and in the blink of an eye, the results will be displayed.
Paid image colorizing websites
Of course, there are also premium services that might offer you a little bit beyond the free services. The technology behind it doesn’t necessarily need to be more sophisticated though. It’s best to play around and compare results before making a purchase always.
Playback.fm
Playback.fm is another AI-supported website that colors black-and-white photographs. After uploading the picture, you can either download the image or pay $18 per photo to get premium results. The premium package also restores damaged old photographs.
MyHeritage
Last year, MyHeritage, which is a genealogy website, acquired the DeOldify photo colorizer website to add the photo coloring feature to their website. At MyHeritage, you can also animate old photos. This website requires a cumbersome procedure for sign-up before you can view the results for the free trial.
This was filmed in 1928(!) at Arcadia Beach in Odessa, Ukraine. We've used our latest in-house AI to blend automatic and manual colorization, and restore the details. This clip is part of the compelling "Man with a Movie Camera" experimental documentary. pic.twitter.com/ofV8OWnqkm
— The Art of DeOldify (@ArtOfDeOldify) July 15, 2022
Movavi
Another interesting software in this list is called Movavi. It is an AI-based image and video editing software. Their Picverse photo editor costs $49.95 for a lifetime supply. The AI software offers many options including removing and replacing the background of the photos. You can also repair your damaged photos with Movavi.
Paid AI software for image colorizing
Going beyond with the support of “AI” is also an option. Though it needs to be clear that oftentimes nowadays the term AI is more of a marketing buzzword and there is no actual artificial intelligence involved.
ColorSurprise AI
The first on the software list is PixBim’s ColorSurprise AI which can be bought for $39.99. This software does everything automatically with high-quality results. It can also process photos in batches.
Codijy
Another easy-to-use image colorizer software that can be bought on one-time payment is called Codijy. The software costs $52 for personal use. The company has been painting the old photos since 2014 and the current price is on their anniversary sale.
Luminar AI
Holding offices in New York and Kyiv, Ukraine, Skylum was founded in 2009 and is an image editing company working across the globe. Their AI-powered photo colorizer software Luminar AI is ideally meant for people who already have some image editing skills. Luminar AI works across all operating systems and costs around $41 without needing a subscription.
Other providers of such solutions consist of img2go, ImageColorizer, Fotor, or Colorize.cc – in no particular order. Some are free and some cost money. Try it out yourself if you’d like to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the platforms.
YouTube: Top 4 Automatic FREE AI Colorizer to Colorize Black and White Photos Without Photoshop
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Igor Vetushko, and the colorized historic photo within, showing Abraham Lincoln, was taken by Matthew Brady.
Source: arxiv / WorldAtlas
